The Michelangelo Signorile Papers follow the development of Signorile's writing career from its early stages through the publishing of his most recent book, Life Outside, and his magazine articles of the late 1990s. From his days at Outweek forward, the collection documents the life cycle of each of his books and columnist jobs, from initial reporting and research to fan letters in response to the published articles.

An extensive account of Signorile's career in the late 1980s through the end of the 1990s, the archive serves as an informative chronicle of the gay movement towards further recognition and visibility in America. It also offers evidence on how the American media operates today-the ethical debate on outing, of which Signorile was a prominent figure, was a battle fought, in many ways, through the media.

Significant moments of Signorile's writing work highlighted here include the Malcolm Forbes outing at Outweek, the fall of Outweek, the outing of Pete Williams at The Advocate and the issue of gays in the military, the activist fight against homophobia in Hollywood and elsewhere, the publishing of Queer in America, his often-controversial columns written at Out magazine, and the publishing of Outing Yourself in 1995 and Life Outside in 1997.

Over a third of the collection is made up of research materials gathered during Signorile's reporting for articles and books, made up of clippings, interviews, activist literature, etc., which are found in Series II. Some original manuscripts are included in Series III, particularly two complete drafts of Queer in America. Also a thorough collection of publicity-profiles, interviews, reviews, and quotes, as well as many folders of reader letters-records the impact his writing had on Americans, both gay and straight, and the American media itself.

Original format for most materials.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

SERIES I: CORRESPONDENCE

Subseries A: Colleagues consists of incoming and outgoing letters organized alphabetically by colleague or publication name. These include letters to and from fellow writers and activists, as well as to various publications. Some incoming letters were addressed to Signorile's editors.

Subseries B: Readers includes primarily fan and appreciation letters from readers arranged by publication date of the Signorile magazine or book to which the correspondent is responding. (The letters are generally grouped by the Signorile publication (magazine or book) to which readers respond, and are sometimes grouped by a particular magazine column).

SERIES II: RESEARCH

Series II is the broadest series in the collection, made up of various materials compiled as research and content for books and articles. The series covers subject matter that Signorile wrote about, subjects that he may also have been personally involved in, such as ACT UP, Queer Nation and Outweek magazine.

Subseries A: Personalities includes collected research on various individuals, organized alphabetically by last name. Materials consist of magazine and newspaper clippings, interview notes, flyers, and books. Access to this subseries is currently restricted.

Subseries B: General is made up of similar types of materials, organized alphabetically by general subject. Materials here also consist of complete issues of gay publications, activist press releases and flyers, and reporter notebooks. Prominent subjects include AIDS, Hollywood, gays in the military, and research specific to his books, Queer in America and Life Outside.

SERIES III: MANUSCRIPTS

Series III is made up of drafts of books and articles, often marked with editor or author edits. Two copy-editing drafts of each chapter of Queer in America are included, as well as original proposals for QIA and Outing Yourself.

SERIES IV: PUBLISHED WORK

Subseries A: Articles is comprised of magazine and newspaper writing from the mid-to-late 1980s through the end of the 1990s. Published work includes a portfolio of Signorile's nightclub-scene gossip columns, letters printed in various newspapers, and many complete issues of Outweek, The Advocate, and Out magazines that featured Signorile columns or articles.

Subseries B: Books is made up of six books-five paperback editions (including British and Japanese editions) of Queer in America, in addition to David Drake's play, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, for which Signorile wrote the foreword.

SERIES V: PUBLICITY & MARKETING

All media coverage outside of the published work itself has been arranged under the category of Publicity & Marketing. These materials are organized by approximate date and range from marketing materials prepared by the publisher, such as press releases and book catalogs, to newspaper articles reporting on public appearances by Signorile and reviews of his books and magazine columns. Profiles, interviews, book award nominations, ads, and various articles in which Signorile is quoted are also found here.

In some cases this series' material will relate closely to related topics in Series II. For instance, media coverage on the subject of outing which quotes or cites Signorile is included here while additional information on outing (that Signorile may not have been personally involved in) is found in Series II.

SERIES VI: LEGAL

This series consists of legal materials which include, primarily, paperwork from the editorial review of Queer in America and The Advocate article outing Pete Williams, which were meticulously carried out in concern for legal repercussions of the publishing of private information. Access to this series is currently restricted.

SERIES VII: MEDIA

The final series is comprised of all media materials in the collection. Media materials here come in three formats-video tapes, audio tapes, and computer disks. The six video tapes feature Signorile interviews, TV coverage, and a documentary on gay activism. The audio tapes include mostly reporter interviews ranging from Outweek to Out. Video and audio materials are organized in the series by approximate date. Computer disks include research articles compiled from electronic research services.